immigration

Victory: MA Supreme Judicial Court Rules Against ICE Detainers

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On Monday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that ICE detainers are illegal. An ICE detainer is a request that ICE makes of local and state law enforcement to hold a person in custody for up to 48 to allow for the investigation of their immigration status.Ending ICE detainers is a key piece of the Safe Communities Act. The court's ruling affirms the legality of ending ICE detainers in the state. But SCA includes additional important provisions.Please continue to contact your state senators and representatives to urge them to pass the Safe Communities Act!

Click here to read the statement & summary from MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

Click here to read more.

Act Now: Update on Francisco Rodriguez's Case

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Francisco Rodriguez was detained on Thursday, July 13 at his check-in with ICE. Francisco is an active member of the Chelsea and Boston communities, a union janitor at MIT with 32BJ SEIU, and a father of two daughters with a third child on the way.You can read more about Francisco's case here and you can read his letter to the public from inside detention here.

Take action today to stop Francisco's deportation:

  1. Donate to Francisco's fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/help-stop-franciscos-deportation
  2. Call our Senators and Representative, thank them for their work on the case thus far, and ask for their support for Francisco’s immediate release from detention & and to weigh in personally with DHS to stop Francisco’s deportation
  3. Sign this petition and call Governor Charlie Baker and ask for his support for Francisco Rodriguez’s immediate release from detention and to weigh in personally with DHS to stop Francisco’s deportation
  4. Contact ICE and let them know you want Francisco Rodriguez to be immediately released from detention:

Important: If you've had a bad experience calling ICE re. Francisco's case, please write down the date, time, and the name of the officer that you spoke with and what happened and email it to me lily@massjwj.net.Sample Script for Senators/Representatives:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling to ask you to help stop Francisco Rodriguez ’s deportation and for his immediate release from detention. Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. I appreciate the work your office and the Senator/Representative has taken on with regards to Francisco's case. I'm calling to ask him/her to personally weigh in with ICE and DHS and to continue to do all he/she can to keep Francisco in our community. If he is deported, we would all suffer greatly. Thank you for your time."

 Sample Script for Governor Baker:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling with regards to the case of Francisco Rodriguez. I'm calling to urge the Governor to do everything in his power to stop the deportation and advocate for the immediate release of Francisco from detention. Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. Governor Baker has the power to do the right thing and personally weigh in with ICE and DHS to keep Francisco with his family and community. Our Commonwealth would suffer greatly if he is deported. Thank you for your time."

 Sample Script for ICE:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling to ask you to help stop Francisco Rodriguez ’s deportation and for his immediate release from detention. His A-Number: 099-665-463. His A-Number: 099-665-463.  Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. Despite following ICE's orders, he was detained on Thursday, July 13. I'm calling to urge ICE to use its discretion and keep Francisco in the community and with his family."

Keep Francisco Home: Week of Action

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MIT Rally & Press Conference

When: Tuesday, July 11 | 12:00-1:00 p.m.Where: MIT Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge 02139

The MIT community calls on ICE to stop Francisco's deportation! Join Francisco, MIT officials, faculty, and staff, 32BJ SEIU members, MIT students, and greater Cambridge politicians and community members.

ICE Check-In Support

When: Thursday, July 13 | 9 a.m.
Where: ICE Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington 01803
We will gather with community and union members to support Francisco as he attends his mandatory check-in with ICE and receives information about the future of his case and ability to stay with his family in the United States.

#HereToStay Vigil

When: Thursday, July 13 | 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Where: US Immigration Courts at JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room 320, Boston 02203
Come hear the campaign update and celebrate Francisco's good news OR call for his immediate release if he was detained at his check-in! Stand in solidarity with Francisco and all immigrant workers and their families who have faced detention and deportation.

About Francisco's Case:

Francisco Rodriguez is a union brother and devoted community member facing deportation.
Last month, we joined more than 40 community members from faith, student, and labor organizations to accompany Francisco to his immigration check-in. We went to support Francisco and his family and to show ICE that we are watching. After this meeting, Francisco received a call moving up his next check-in date from December to July.
 
We must continue to show up and put the pressure on ICE to do the right thing and keep Francisco here with his family.
 
Other ways to support Francisco:
 
1. Call
  • New England Regional ICE office Immigration officer Gary Roltsch: (781) 359-7500 X7625
  • Community Relations officer Alexia Koplewski: (781) 359-7511
2. Email
3. Write a letter or postcard to Immigration Officer ASAP:
 
Immigration Officer Gary Roltsch
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Boston Field Office
1000 District Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
Sample script for calls, emails, letters: "Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I am calling to ask you to grant Mr. Francisco Rodriguez Guardado's stay of removal. His A-Number: 099-665-463. Mr. Rodriguez has lived in the U.S. since 2006. He is a father of two American citizen children and with a baby on the way. He is a member of his children's school parent committee, of the community organization Chelsea Collaborative, of the Church Tabernaculo biblico seguidores de Jesus, and a union member of 32BJ SEIU (Service Employees International Union) at MIT. Mr. Rodriguez  always pays his taxes and contributes to his community, church, children's school and at work. He is a beloved member of Chelsea. In addition, Mr. Rodriguez's mother who is currently a permanent resident will become a citizen next year and shortly after she will petition for her son's pathway to residency and eventual citizenship."

Help Us Stop Francisco's Deportation

One of our union brothers is facing deportation, and he needs your help. This is urgent.

Francisco Rodriguez has lived in the U.S. since 2006 and has been in Chelsea for the past six years. He is a janitor at MIT and a member of 32BJ SEIU and the Chelsea Collaborative. He has young children who are U.S. citizens and his mother is a legal permanent resident. Despite the fact that Mr. Rodriguez is a beloved member of our community, he is facing potential deportation.

How you can support Francisco:

  1. Attend the rally for Francisco's check-in, July 13 at 9 a.m. at the ICE Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803
  2. Call
    1. New England Regional ICE office Immigration officer Gary Roltsch: (781) 359-7500 X7625
    2. Community Relations officer Alexia Koplewski: (781) 359-7511
  3. Email
    1. alexia.koplewski@ice.dhs.gov
    2. Boston.Outreach@ice.dhs.go
    3. ERO.INFO@ice.dhs.gov
    4. Chris.M.Cronen@ice.dhs.gov
    5. Todd.J.Thurlow@ice.dhs.gov
  4. Write a letter or postcard to Immigration Officer ASAP:
    Immigration Officer Gary Roltsch
    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
    Boston Field Office
    1000 District Avenue
    Burlington, MA 01803
Sample script for calls, emails, letters, and postcards: "Hi, my name is __ and I live in__. I am calling to ask you to grant Mr. Francisco Rodriguez Guardado's stay of removal. His A-Number: 099-665-463. Mr. Rodriguez has lived in the U.S. since 2006. He is a father of two American citizen children and with a baby on the way. He is a member of his children's school parent committee, of the community organization Chelsea Collaborative, of the Church Tabernaculo Biblico Seguidores de Jesus, and a union member of 32BJ SEIU (Service Employees International Union) at MIT. Mr. Rodriguez Guardado always pays his taxes and contributes to his community, church, children's school and at work. He is a beloved member of Chelsea. In addition, Mr. Rodriguez's mother who is currently a permanent resident will become a citizen next year and shortly after she will petition for her son's pathway to residency and eventual citizenship."
Mr. Rodriguez applied for asylum in 2007 shortly after arriving in the United States. After his application for asylum was denied, he was granted prosecutorial discretion and has received a Stay of Removal every year since then.

On Tuesday, June 13th, Francisco went to his immigration check-in and was accompanied by more than 40 community members, including the JLC, to bear witness, support him and his family, and take a stand against unjust immigration laws and deportations. Together we chanted and sang songs of solidarity as we waited for Francisco.

In the morning, ICE said that Francisco has until Dec 13th for his next check-in, however, just six hours later, ICE said that Francisco has to return for his check-in on July 13th with travel documents.

Please continue to check your emails from us and our Facebook page on ways you can take action.

Update on the Domestic Workers and Employers Oral History Project

On Sunday, December 4, almost 50 participants from MataHari Women Workers’ Center, the JLC, and the broader community joined together for "In Our Care: Creating Community Protection in an Era of Uncertainty." This was the first event unveiling the findings of our two year long Domestic Workers and Employers Oral History project. We shared our personal histories around migration and began the important work of building bridges based on our shared experiences of immigration.We encourage people to continue to support the Oral History project and the advancement of immigrants' rights and domestic workers' rights by making a donation here.We look forward to a full presentation of the project in September 2017. Stay tuned!Oral historian Jayne Guberman reporting on the Domestic Workers and Employers Oral History project at "In Our Care: Creating Community Protection in an Era of Uncertainty."MataHari Executive Director Monique Nguyen tells her family's story of migration at "In Our Care: Creating Community Protection in an Era of Uncertainty."

In Our Care: Creating Community Protection in an Era of Uncertainty

First Report on Oral History Project of Domestic Workers and Employers of Domestic Workers

WHEN: Sunday, December 4, 3-6 PM
WHERE: 50 Milk Street, 14th Floor, Boston

Facebook event here. Please RSVP.

"In Our Care" is a community building series where we will discuss the future of domestic care in our lives and in our society. How does our view of domestic work/labor impact the way we all care for one another in society?

In a post-2016-election environment, domestic workers, many of whom are immigrants, are seeing an increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric, hate crimes, and proposed anti-immigrant policies. The fear and apprehension in our communities are real. On December 4th, in the first of our series on care, we will come together to begin to build relationships across the lines of immigration status to vision together, to resist division, and to create alternative models of safety and protection.

Background: Two years ago, Matahari Women Workers' Center and the New England Jewish Labor Committee embarked on an oral history project to honor the history and lived realities of those who do care work and receive care. We want to build a bridge between domestic workers and domestic employers and engage in shaping a future free from exploitation, where workers are respected, valued, and families have access to dignified care through all stages of life.
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Please RSVP to the Facebook event or to NewEnglandJLC@jewishlabor.org. Email or call with questions: NewEnglandJLC@jewishlabor.org or 617 227-0888.

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